Adrsta
by nrebecca
Summary: "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated."


It was only the beginning.

Jacob watched from the beach as the rough waves ripped the tiny boat end from end, some fifteen miles or so offshore. The winds stung sand against his face and the waters rose high enough to cover his ankles, but he sat still, picking apart a mango piece by piece.

As if on cue, the winds settled, and the waves began to calm beneath the rolling gray sky. But there was no hope for the boat; it was now strewn in pieces across the ocean.

Jacob watched her swim. A few times, she faltered, looking for a few moments as if she may give up. Every so often, she found a stray piece of wreckage to hang onto for a few moments before moving on. More than once, a particularly rough wave would pull her under, and he would have to wait a few seconds before seeing her head surface once more. Never did he make a move to rise and come to her aid.

Finally, she reached the shore. A mere hundred feet from where he sat, she surfaced against the rough sand, crawling on her hands and knees as far out of the water as she could before collapsing. There she lay for quite some time. Jacob finished his mango, tossing the pit aside, and continued to watch her. He didn't bother to scan the horizon for more survivors.

The sky had darkened considerably by the time she raised her head.

Jacob had started a fire, and he could see the flames reflecting in her eyes as she scanned the beach for signs of life. Finally, she staggered to her feet. Her clothing was not elaborate, and clung to her body closely, appearing to be some kind of night shift. The material was thin and transparent, and nearly every inch of her was visible as she neared the fire slowly. Jacob found himself looking away, though he didn't know why.

"Hello?" she called out. Her voice was hoarse and accented. "Who's there?"

"I'm here," Jacob called back. She seemed startled by his reply and stumbled in the sand.

"Please, help," she pleaded, pointing towards the dark sea. "The ship, it…there was a storm, and…I…" Her words trailed off as she approached the fire on unsteady legs. The wet material of her sleeping gown left nothing to Jacob's imagination, and the only thing that granted her modesty were the long, loose tendrils of her soaked and matted hair. A swollen gash on her forehead still oozed red, and Jacob found himself becoming even more impressed with her persistence to live.

Then she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

When she woke once more, he had already carried her to his home. It was warm beneath the statue, as the fire never went out, and Jacob rarely missed living in the damp caves. He hadn't returned there since the deaths of his Brother and Mother. He hadn't needed to.

The ground beneath her was solid, but not cold. Instead, she found herself stretched out on a soft surface, a heat source somewhere nearby warmed her face and body. Her hair and clothing felt dry, and she opened her eyes to see the glow of an orange fire a few feet away.

The flames reminded her of the fire on the beach, and where she was. Shipwrecked. She'd raised her head from the damp sand, barely able to remember just how she'd made it so far back to land. Had she swam? But it didn't matter, because there was firelight nearby. Where there was fire, there was life, and if she could just make it a few steps further, maybe she could live.

Here now, in the warm room she found herself inside of, she rolled onto her back and looked up at the starry night sky, visible through a rather large hole in the high ceiling. She rose to her feet unsteadily, looking down briefly at the intricately woven cloth she had been laid on.

"Hello."

The voice startled her, and she turned around too quickly, leaving her feeling dizzy. A man, the same man she'd seen briefly behind the flickering flames on the beach, was sitting at what looked like some kind of loom.

"Who are you?" she demanded, looking around the room for other signs of life. She found none, and suddenly felt very exposed in only her thin nightgown. Cold, rushing water had begun filling the ship's lower quarters before she'd had time to grab something, anything to wear. No one had ever seen her in this barely-dressed state before, let alone a stranger, and she wrapped her arms around herself desperately.

"I'm Jacob," the man replied, watching her but not in a leering way. In fact, as uncomfortable and scared as she should have felt in front of this unknown person, she felt almost the opposite, save for her lack of cover. "And your name is?"

"Clarity," she replied, and Jacob nodded as if this made perfect sense.

"Clarity, would you like something to eat?"

Her ravenous appetite suddenly took over the desire to try and run away or demand answers, and she found herself devouring the perfectly-cooked slab of fish he'd handed to her. Jacob watched her as she ate, picking out the bones carefully, unworried about having to eat with her hands. When she was through, he offered her another piece, and she accepted, eating until her hunger was more than satiated.

She found herself leaning back against the small wooden chair Jacob had offered her with a sigh. She had no memories of her stomach ever feeling this full.

"I've never eaten this much in my life," she admitted, and Jacob smiled from his crouched position on the floor. Apparently, he only owned one chair, and was more than willing to give it up to her.

"Swimming fifteen miles will certainly rouse your appetite," he pointed out, leaning forward to lay another piece of wood on the fire. Clarity frowned; had she really swam that far? And how had he known? Unless he'd seen her.

"The ship, it…sank," she announced, as if remembering this for the first time. "The storm capsized us…maybe there are more survivors?"

Jacob nodded in thoughtful agreement. "Maybe there are."

Clarity stood. "Well, we should go find them."

Jacob made no move to join her. "Should we?"

Clarity frowned. "Of course! What if…what if they're hurt, or they need help?"

"I think they'll end up exactly where they need to go," Jacob replied. "You did."

Clarity sat back down heavily in the wooden chair. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you believe in destiny, Clarity?"

Her father had claimed that her destiny was to sail across the ocean to the New World, to work as a servant in some rich colonial kitchen. Clarity looked around the sparsely furnished room. She couldn't explain it, she didn't even know where she was, but she knew she preferred this destiny already.

**Author's Note: ** Hi everyone! This a new story of mine, obviously, and it's a bit different. I'm trying to feel it out and see if anyone is really interested, so review and let me know if you are. For those who are curious, the title "adrsta" is a Sanskrit word for an Indian philosophy that is pretty much synonymous with destiny or fate, implying the existence of an unknown force at work. We all know that these are familiar themes in LOST, but I wanted a story that explored more of the mythos of the island, along with the relationship between the brothers. The plot is more or less AU – not sure if I will even touch on the 815 survivors or not. The only canon here will be in the backstory (which, for the most party, I'm going to assume you all know as I write). Again, please review and let me know if you'd like me to continue!


End file.
